What's Going On With The Pigeon?

One of the most frequently expressed wonderings by PK2 students during our current Mo Willems inquiry are related to why the famous Pigeon character from another series of books by the same author and illustrator, appears in all the Piggie & Gerald books we have been reading over the past couple of weeks. Some students wonder whether the Pigeon might be evil. Others wonder why the author is putting the Pigeon in these books; one student suggesting it might be a way to show readers other books the author has written. This led some students to ask whether the Pigeon has its own books too and if yes, do Piggie & Gerald appear in those books. This made some students wonder then what other books the author has written. It was beautiful seeing how one question led to the next.
​Further, our students are interested in finding out how Mo Willems makes his books and why he draws some of the characters the way he does ("Why does the Pigeon have a bright yellow beak?", "Why are Piggie's eyes black?").

​We will continue reading books by Mo Willems with our PK2 students - they are so much fun as read-alouds, enjoyed by everyone - as well as look at videos that show the author and illustrator in action, so that our young inquirers can find some answers to their questions. As shared in a different post (click on this link if you have missed the post Author Inquiries Revisited), our author inquiries are a wonderful way to get our students excited about authors and their books while allowing them to practise inquiry skills as well as various literacy skills.

We are happy to be able to offer some of the Mo Willems books to our students also in their Chinese translation. Our PK2 students are enjoying listening to the stories read by our Mandarin teachers as well as checking the books out to take home, both in English and Mandarin. Below a few more pictures from our read-aloud sessions and check out time. Enjoy!